Jakarta. Indonesia's Creative Economy Agency, or Bekraf, is hosting a four-day meeting this week in Bandung, West Java, to discuss preparations for next year's World Conference on Creative Economy, or WCCE, in Bali.

One of WCCE's goals is to strengthen Indonesia's role in the development of creative industries and improve cooperation between countries.

According to a statement issued by Bekraf on Monday (04/12), the economic value of the world's creative industry has "surpassed even the petroleum industry" at around $2.2 trillion in 2012 across the globe.

"In the history of the world, there has been no single industry that could be developed without some form of cooperation between countries," Bekraf chief Triawan Munaf said in the statement.

He said the WCCE aims to create a "snowball effect for cooperation in this field."

The meeting in Bandung will be attended by government officials, international organizations, experts, representatives of the private sector and academics from ten countries.

Some of the speakers confirmed for the meeting include British Council Director Paul Smith, Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson, Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil and KOCCA President Hong Sangpyo.

The major topics of discussion in Bandung will be regulations, social cohesion and the future of the creative economy.

"This conference will involve countries with strong interests in developing the creative industry. We will discuss ways to strengthen cooperation between us, be it in funding or regulations," Triawan said.

The meeting is expected to come up with concrete recommendations for possible cooperation agreements to be fleshed out at WCCE next year.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo established Bekraf in January 2015 to keep up with rapid development in Indonesia's creative industry. The agency is tasked with promoting innovation-based employment and creating a conducive ecosystem for its development.